


I Feel Sick

by birdsweater



Category: Undertale
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, I really kind of want to add everyone somehow, MK is kind of adorable tho, Sickness, also tags will be added, and I don't see enough Muffet incorporation into major stories, anyway, but that'd be too much, first fanfic, so that will be happening, specific tags, that your eyes will be possibly sad about, the rating will change as time goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-30 12:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5164034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdsweater/pseuds/birdsweater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been months since the monsters have returned to the surface. Everything is going fairly well, and with Frisk by their side, monsters couldn't have a better human to help them.</p><p>Except, monsters are getting sick. </p><p>And there doesn't seem to be a cure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sunny Daze

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfiction I've ever put online in my life. I've written probably two other fanfictions within that span of time. None online. You can imagine how terrifying this is for me. I've struggled with putting this here at all and it would mean the world to me to get feedback! I will probably reply to like, every comment so... Please, tell me how it is!
> 
> Also, everything will get 100% crazy take my word for it. This is just the beginning.
> 
> Edit: changed the tense a bit

Your bare feet hit the ground as you ran. Mud squished between your toes in clumps, but you were going too fast to really care. The tall grass looked like a single block of green to your hazy moving vision, and you looked nervously at it as you moved. The sun beat down like an angry drummer, the heat swimming in radial waves across the sky and you felt sweat drip down into your eyes. You were getting pretty tired. Maybe it would be a good time to take a break? If you were safe, that was.

The grass here was tall enough. There was no way you would be found. You were in absolutely no danger, at all. In fact, you were going to sit on that nice rock over by that cool tree and take a breather. It was such a nice rock, too. Nothing would stop you! It was the perfect, completely foolproof pla-

“GOTCHA!”

A stout, spindly figure smacked into your side and knocked you down like a sack of turnips. You rolled around a bit, still like a sack of turnips, until you came to a halt by the rock you had almost reached. You placed a shaky, bruised hand on top of it. So close.

“Haha! Man, I can’t believe how far you got! But you’re no match for these legs!”

The monster who had bowled you over gesticulated said legs wildly in the air for emphasis, before realizing it was stuck. “Uhh, a little help?”

You carefully picked the monster kid and yourself off the ground, using the rock as leverage. You both stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. “Man! I really did getcha’ good, huh, Frisk?”

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining across the sky, and birds sang out from various branches and openings in the trees. Like a golden orchard from paradise, the trees surrounding you both reflected beautiful colors of orange and yellow from their leaves. You gazed in wonderment at the bright blue sky and took a deep breath of the crisp air. The surface was truly beautiful.

You looked over at your companion, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.  
“It’s pretty sweet, isn’t it? That we get to enjoy this now?” the monster kid took a few steps forward and heaved out a happy sigh. “I mean, I’m really grateful, y’know? I thought we’d be in those caves forever…”

You both stood in silence for a few more moments. Your feet started to fidget a bit, and you looked down at your knees. They had been cut up pretty bad by the rocks, and when you brought a hesitant finger to them it came back covered in crimson.

“Oh dang,” said MK a bit anxiously. “I didn’t do that, did I?” You gave them a lopsided grin, and they looked around guiltily. “I...I think there’s a creek nearby that we can, um, jump around in. Maybe that will help?” You nodded your head, and MK smiled again.  
“Ok! Cool, this way!” They began to race off again, and you shook your head before jumping after them. 

You rushed through the grass again, following the striped shirt through. It began to get hard to see them, but you kept your ears open to the sound of rushing water. If there was a creek nearby, maybe it wouldn’t matter if you couldn’t follow MK very well. Not that you wanted to admit they were a lot faster than you were. There was a matter of pride here at stake, after all. Just as you were starting to get maybe a little worried, the grass broke through into another clearing and you were practically leaping into water. With a splash you cried out in shock as the water completely drenched your clothes. MK laughed gleefully at your surprised expression, about to tease you before they saw the evil glint in your eye. Turning the terrain into your advantage, you sent an armada of deadly water based firearms splashing towards them with your hands. Mk turned and kicked more water back. The all out water battle began. It ended rather quickly with the two of your completely soaked.

The water turned out to be a great defence against the heat and the two of you were soon sitting on stones by the creek, lazily watching golden and red leaves drift by. You twirled a stick haphazardly in the water, making little eddies that the leaves diverted and drowned in, like small ships sunk at sea.

“Hey Frisk,” said MK after a contemplative moment. “Do you...think the other humans like us?” You turned curiously towards them, lifting a small eyebrow in questioning.  
“Hah, it’s just, sometimes I’m sort of worried they don’t. Don’t get me wrong!” said MK as your eyebrows grew higher in height, “I’ve made a few friends, and most of them are nice but…” MK sighed a bit, turning to look at the water. “I feel the bigger ones watching me sometimes. I think, maybe their parents don’t approve. I don’t want to make anyone unhappy. I want to have friends. But I’m worried at what they could do to me. Is that weird? I thought, well...I thought everyone was going to be as nice as you. But i think that’s wrong. I wasn’t ready for that.”

“Did something happen?” you said in a small voice. MK looked at you in surprise, before turning away again.

“Uh, no. Not really anyway. I think...I think maybe... actually, a small thing did happen but…”

“It’s ok, you can tell me.” You shifted into a more comfortable position, and turned to face MK with a concerned expression.

“Well, I was walking down by the park, y’know. And you know how sometimes, when I run, I fall over? Well, I did that. I fell over and someone laughed pretty hard. But not in a nice way. Not in a ‘oh that’s kind of cute,’ way. They really hurt me, y’know? They laughed because I got hurt. Because I’m a monster. I didn’t feel so hot about it. I just...I just want to be accepted, Frisk.”

You opened your arms wide, and MK leaned into them with a sigh. They were still a bit wet, and their shirt clung awkwardly to yours, but you didn’t mind. You pat their back gently.

“It’s worth it though. I love being here, on the surface. I wouldn’t give it up for the world, Frisk. But sometimes...sometimes I kind of wish I wasn’t a monster.”

“Don’t ever say that. Monsters are the best. They’re way cooler than humans are.”

“Haha, I mean, I guess we are pretty cool,” they said, their voice getting muffled by your sweater.

“You all have cool magic and are always nice. Humans don’t get any of that.”

“Yea!” said MK, pulling away, “Humans are totally lame compared to us!”  
You pull a face at them. “Haha! Except you Frisk. You know you’re the best.”

You shrugged and pulled your arms to yourself. “I’m ok.”

“Oh, c’mon Frisk! You single handedly saved all of monster-kind! Who else could do something so cool? You brought us all home! You’re the best.”

You let a small smile out on your face, and looked back up at MK. Sparkles of adoration erupted from their eyes like fireworks, and it warmed your tiny heart. You leaned a hand down into the water, and brought a small splash up into their face. Letting out a small “o” of surprise, MK stumbled back a bit before the grin was back in full force. 

“Haha! Frisk saved the monsters! They’re the coolest human!” MK said, jumping up. They danced in small circle, eyes wide and grin big on their lizardy face. You couldn't help but giggle a little.

“Frisk, you gotta know how much we care about you. All of us. Don’t ever feel down about yourself, okay? Or I’ll have to knock some sense into ya! HA!” MK bashed their head slightly into yours, and you fell flat on your back at the force, knees sprawled awkwardly in the air. 

“Anyway, I think we should start heading ba...a...-ACHOO!” MK erupted into a violent sneeze and fell to the ground beside you.,

You both looked at each other in alarm. 

“W-was that me?” MK asked nervously. You nodded your head slowly, maintaining steady eye contact.

“PFFT,” said MK, bursting into laughter. You giggled a bit back. “That was weird, ha. I’ve never sneezed before. Maybe it’s the air here?” You shrugged back at them. 

“Well! Sneezes aside, we should probably get going! I think Toriel said she was gonna make dinner tonight for us, and I don’t want to miss that. Her pies are amazing! Zing!” MK jumped up, and you followed their lead. 

“Err, I hope we can find our way back.” You pointed at the path you both left in your wake in the grass, and they grinned at you. “Awesome! And...you can lead the way this time. If you want.”

Nodding your head, you picked your way over, and the two of you began the trek home.


	2. A Sudden Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Golly, how did that happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was exceptionally hard to write. I have the entire story mapped out, but connecting the pieces is where it gets difficult.
> 
> Sorry that this is short, but I'm planning on updating more frequently. So there's that!
> 
> Anyway...
> 
> (I did not update more frequently. I am so sorry)

“And then, I went up to the bench press, but Undyne said that because I didn’t have any arms that I didn’t need to press it. With my arms, that is. I still had to press it with my legs! I just, laid there on the ground doing sick bar presses with my legs! Everyone was really impressed. I was pretty impressed, too. But I feel like Undyne should maybe, um, have some kinda special support thing in place? For monsters that don’t have appendages? It was all really freakin’ awkward! And even worse-...”

You stopped walking, alarm setting in at the sudden loss of your companion. You turned swiftly to look at MK, who had stopped a few yards back. They stood still for a few odd seconds with a dazed look on their face, before erupting into another vicious sneeze. 

“Ha...anyway. Um, what’s even...worse,” they said, huffing to catch up. When you didn’t respond, they stopped again. You looked at them anxiously, your wary expression met with a big toothy smile. “What? You worried about me?” 

You nodded your head a little bit. This hadn’t been the only other sneeze. MK had been sneezing nonstop since they’d left the field. Their sneezing had gotten so obnoxious that people walking across the street from you kept jumping up in surprise. 

“Haha, there’s nothing bad silly! I told ya,” they said, spinning in a little circle. “It’s just allergies!” With a light stomp, they raced ahead of you for a few yards, before turning to look back. 

“Ha...ha...boy…” they said in a distant voice, lungs heaving heavily. 

Looking at them, they seemed so much smaller. And it wasn’t just the distance. A small pang of fear fluttered through your heart. Their tiny body kept heaving. They were too far away; their voice disappeared. They coughed. Hard.

You raced towards them. You saw their legs give out. Their face hit the sidewalk, and their tail flew up in the air before sliding to the ground beside them. 

"MK!"

You could hear yourself screaming. It seemed too loud to you. Everything was loud, suddenly. Why did the distance seem so far? It wasn’t very far. They weren’t far away from you. If you ran you could stop whatever was happening to your friend. You would end this before it started. Why were you so afraid?

What were you afraid of, exactly? 

Illness wasn’t strange, you thought to yourself as you clutched MK in your arms, hurrying to lift them from the sidewalk. They wouldn’t get up, so you opted to sit beside them, not letting go.  
It happened all of the time. Humans got sick all of the time.  
But you’d never seen monsters get sick before. 

How did you even know that MK was sick? Maybe...it was something else you didn’t know about.  
You turned them over in your arms. They were shivering strangely. You cried out in alarm as you realized their face had taken on a strange color. It was cold and ashy, and the sight sent white hot flashes of fear down your spine. You hugged them close, worried that they might disappear if you didn’t cling tight enough.

In the back of your mind, you remembered your cellphone. Before you’d gone running with MK, you’d left it in your bag with your shoes and you pulled it out now hoping with all of your frightened heart that you could call for help. That someone would know what to do.

Shaky fingers dialed buttons, and your heart beat faster in anticipation. It was taking too long to answer. 

“Frisk? What’s wrong, my child?” You practically sobbed with relief at Toriel’s voice, and your hands scrabbled awkwardly to position the phone on your shoulder. MK fluttered weakly in your arms again, and a fresh wave of panic prompted a delayed response to the call. 

“Frisk? Frisk! Are you alright? What’s wrong? Frisk!” 

“M-mom.." _I don’t know what to do._ “They’re...my friend is-...I’m so scared.”

“Frisk…”

“....” 

You gripped the phone in your hand. You were dimly aware of a soothing voice on the other end telling you that everything would be okay, that they would come find you. To tell them where you were. Voices spilled out from around you, and you were vaguely aware of a small crowd of people asking you what was wrong. They filtered through your teary eyes like faceless heads, vague and ominous in their confusion. You didn’t know what was wrong. You didn’t know what to tell them.

 

The warm autumn day turned cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy! That sure happened fast, didn't it? 
> 
> Haha! Stay tuned until next time! For more fun!


	3. Composure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, remember when I said I would update more frequently? Ha...ha...
> 
> h..
> 
> Well, have a slightly longer chapter.
> 
> (I would say the next ones will be even longer, but I hate making promises ;) )

“HUMAN! FRISK!”

“Heya, punk! What’s goin’ on here?”

A loud voice snapped you out of your catatonic state. You looked up in a daze, watching as the crowd of concerned people hastily scattered before the two monsters. Papyrus and Undyne were soon standing above you with worried expressions.

“I GOT A CALL FROM TORIEL SAYING THAT YOU WERE IN TROUBLE! WE CAME AS SOON AS PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE! I RAN TWO MILES IN FOUR MINUTES.”

“Right! Anyway what happened? Did someone rough you up? I’ll kick ‘em in the butt and shove em to the ground. They won’t know what hit ‘em! Hey, is that..?” Undyne leaned down next to you and tried to look at who you were holding. MK made a tiny wheezing sound, and you quickly turned away from her. 

“Frisk? What happened?” Undyne’s voice was low, serious. “Did anyone attack you? Is that MK?” 

"no one...attacked us." 

You barely heard your own voice. Undyne's face scrunched up into confusion. 

Worry still clinging like static to the sides of your stomach, you bent your head towards your lap. You let out a shaky breath as Undyne slowly grabbed your arm, trying to get you to lessen your grip. You shook your head. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Undyne; you were just worried that if you so much as let up a little, MK would fall apart completely. 

“Frisk, come on. I gotta see what’s wrong, you have to show me them.”

Undyne stared at you with her one uncovered eye, concern swimming in her expression. You looked back at her warily, and took a small breath.

Carefully, like hesitant wings, your arms opened slowly. MK’s face shone out shaky from your tiny cocoon, their eyes lifeless and their tiny face gray and ashen.

Undyne let out a small breath, and her eyes closing tightly for a second. 

“This doesn’t look too good. I would ask you to tell me what happened, Frisk, and i fully expect you to! But I think it’s more important that we get them help or something as soon as possible. Except…” Undyne furrowed her eyebrows, “I don’t know if we have doctors? Magic is usually good at healing and stuff. I think if we take them home, someone from their family should know what’s best. I haven’t seen this before, but...” Undyne reached a hand out slowly. “I think we should get them out of here, Frisk. And I’m not sure you could carry them all the way home.”

You turned MK away before Undyne’s hand could touch them. You made a small motion to stand upwards, and attempt to bring MK with you. Their head lolled too far to the side, and you let out a shaky cry as you both fell towards the ground. Gloved hands caught you.

“FRISK,” said Papyrus loudly, before hushing his voice a bit, (not by much). “I AM MORE THAN CAPABLE OF HELPING HERE. IT WOULD BE BETTER, EVEN. I AM, AFTER ALL, INCREDIBLY STRONG AND FIT FOR LIFTING SMALL CHILDREN WITH MY ARMS. AND CARRYING, SINCE WE ARE NOT IN UNDYNE’S GYM CLASS.”

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Frisk. Let us help you out.”

You released your grip on MK and Papyrus lifted them gently up into the air. He cradled MK carefully in his arms and stood up straight.

“Come on here, let me help you up!” Undyne grabbed your arm, and you were pulled to shaky feet. 

You looked around slowly. You hadn’t realised how late it was getting. The sun was a faint orange blob almost buried behind the trees, and the lingering people on the sidewalk bustling away on various errands had completely disappeared. 

“You okay, Frisk? I don’t want to push you too fast, but it’s probably best we get going. For MK, and for you. Toriel’s probably getting beyond worried.” As if in response, your phone buzzed on the ground below you. Undyne reached down to pick it up, wincing heavily at the screen. 

“Wow, that’s a lot of missed calls. Toriel’s gonna be piss- angry. She’s gonna be mad.”

You shook a bit. “Woa, not at you! You know how Toriel gets when she thinks you’re in trouble. You don’t look super hot either, Frisk! And your knees are seriously banged up. Let’s get going!”

She pulled you along. Somehow, through your daze, you felt the way her hand gripped you a bit too tight. The too stoic way she walked forward. You tried to push away the rising feeling of nausea. 

Papyrus followed steadily in front, somehow knowing it would be a relief to be able to watch out for MK as you walked.

\-----

 

You sat on the step, watching the skies. The world was a dark place at night, and you couldn’t help but pick out a few stars and focus on them deeply. Even in the dark, they shone brightly, unfaltering. They were determined to stay strong, just like you.

The faded lights of the neighborhood windows had already dimmed. Their tiny shuttered houses held monsters and humans alike, and while neither shared the same roof, progress had been made to bring everyone closer. You had all made so much progress on the surface, and after only a few months of leaving the Underground it seemed like a miracle. At least, you suspected. Some of the neighbors were still wary of even you and Toriel, but it was hard to be afraid of a monster who baked you pies, and spoke so warmly the air seemed like summer again.

The wind blew little clusters of leaves through the air, and brushed them down the street like chalk dust on a child’s pavement. The half-moon shone brightly in the sky and a small dusting of stars gathered around it in a glowy blanket. It reminded you of the lost souls of the dark below, who gathered around your heart to protect you from harm. 

As you watched, a cloud front slowly rolled in. Looming and ominous, it crept like a dark panther across the beautiful sky and drowned the tiny specks of light out. As the moonlight slowly faded before your eyes, a sick feeling spread throughout your soul. 

You held a mug of hot cider in your hands, and felt the steam rise to your lips in shaky furls of warmth. It was suddenly no longer tempting.

A large hand gently placed itself on your shoulder, and you felt warm again as a large blanket covered your tiny body. You hadn’t noticed how much you'd been shivering. You leaned into the hand and a large body moved to sit beside you on the steps, carefully wrapping you in warmer, softer arms. You leaned heavily into the embrace and closed your eyes, blocking out the cloudy sky entirely. 

You'd come home in a daze Undyne disclosing what had happened in a rushed voice. Toriel had grabbed you into her arms like she was now, letting you cry a bit from the worry. 

You had wanted to go with Papyrus to monitor MK’s condition, but you felt too guilty looking at Toriel’s worried face and too drained from the physical and emotional toll of the day. Was it selfish to want to go home and cry? Probably.

You felt like a terrible friend

Undyne had made sure you stayed put, though. She told you she was going to join Papyrus at MK’s house, and would fill you in on everything that happened. In an uncharacteristic stretch of warmth, she’d hugged you tightly and then patted your head, turning quickly into a run.  
You’d felt a bit squished. Two minutes later you received a text informing you that she and Papyrus would text you with news within the next day.

Dinner had been silent. Toriel was worried, you could tell, but you had begun to convince yourself that perhaps you had over-exaggerated how serious the situation was. Sure, you had never seen MK like this before, and Undyne being worried didn't help either, but magic would definitely be able to help. After all, there was still so much about monsters you didn’t understand. It wouldn’t be strange to assume this kind of thing happened, however rare.

Yet, every time you managed to convince yourself it would be okay, MK’s cold gray face in your arms flashed through your head.

You had excused yourself from dinner early. 

It seemed Toriel was afraid to let your thoughts go too far.

“Frisk..” she said, her voice rumbling warm and deep in her chest. A new kind of worry entered your soul at the strange way her heart beat below you.

“What you saw today, how you are worried...I understand it” she said, softly. “Although, I do not know if now is the best time...to share how I feel.”

She took a small breath. 

“How things like..this reflect the past. I thought maybe. Well..”

She paused to stroke your hair.

“I am a bit worried about your friend. I am more worried, I am ashamed to say, about you. I thought I could escape the past. But the worry and fear of losing another child is still present. I do not want to lose you, Frisk. That is all I can say."

Her breathing went funny, and you gripped her harder. Burying your face in warm fur, you felt her struggle to maintain her stability. 

This wasn't fair. To either of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, can anyone give me advice for formatting this?
> 
> Like, give me feedback for how easy/difficult it is to read this. I'm not sure if the paragraphs are too chunky, or if I should be spacing everything out more. I would really appreciate it!


	4. More Than You Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how things could possibly get worse?

The sun filtered softly through the window, a gentle breeze fluttering the curtains. You sat up in bed and crawled cautiously over the covers to look outside, your feet tangling in the blankets. It was bright out. A few lone clouds scraped the sky like foreign wanderers, leaves twirling like spry birds through the air around their patchy presence. The yard was bare, and you felt a pang of loss for the garden and flowers which had died earlier in the season. Their remains sat like a gnarled maw along the sides of the house in rows. It was a little sad. The lone tree near the mailbox was hanging on though, a few leaves still clinging to its sticky branches. You lifted a small fist in salute.

The brown grass in the yard showed fragments of nightly frost, but the sun had mostly melted it all away. A weird feeling spread over you at this realization.

It was beautiful outside, but it was also almost the afternoon. Something wasn't right...you didn't usually sleep in so late. You eyed the calendar on the wall and noted the day. It was a school day. Why hadn't Toriel woken you up yet?

An uneasy feeling dragged itself through your gut, and you lurched out of bed, falling to the ground with your feet tangled in the bedspread. You scrambled up from the floor, rethinking your course of action a bit. With more presence of mind, you picked yourself up before slowly moving to open the bedroom door.

You walked down the hall slowly, your feet padding softly across the wooden floor in your footie pajamas. You stepped cautiously toward the living room, and noticed Toriel sitting in her rocking chair reading a book, her glasses perched carefully on her head. She looked up at you through them as you came in.

“Mom…” you started uneasily, “why didn't you wake me up for school?”

“I thought you needed your rest,” she said calmly, turning a page, “after what happened yesterday.”

“Oh,” you said. You stood there for a while more, wondering how to precede. Something began to dawn on you.

“Mom, you run the school, though. Even if you wanted me to rest...shouldn't you be there teaching?”

Toriel looked up. Something...odd flashed through her eyes. She put down the book slowly before clearing her throat.

“School has been cancelled.”

“Why?”

“I…” Toriel looked away. “I wanted to make sure you were alright today.”

“But the other children...I mean you can’t cancel school just for me.”

Toriel slowly took the glasses down from her face, and set upon wiping them carefully on her dress. She placed them on the table next to the book and closed it. She looked at them for so long that you began to feel frightened. You walked carefully towards her, and saw her eyes were misty. 

“Mom?”

“...”

You closed the gap and reached forward for her. You felt her arms grip you tightly, and heard a tight choked back sob. Your heart fell to your lungs and you stuttered your breathing. 

“M-mom..what’s wrong? Is it something…” You felt a lurch, “does it have to do with MK?”

She breathed in a stuttering breath before letting out a harsh, “yes.”

You breathed in heavily, and pulled away. “Are they...is MK…?” Your vision went blurry. Toriel gently brushed your hair with a fuzzy paw.

“They are...still alive.”

Relief flooded your system like a cool wave of air. You hesitated slightly when Toriel would not meet your eyes again. “But..?”

“Your friend,” Toriel started softly, patting your hair again, “I do not know how to say this. I do not know how strong I can be. Please be patient with me for a moment, Frisk. I have had all morning to think about this, how best to break the news. And now, I cannot keep my words straight, and I do not know how best to tell you what has occurred.”

“It’s okay. I can take it, Mom. I’m strong.” She looked down at your pajamas and your tousled hair, the tiny set of eyes set in a hard line of determination. She nodded at you, a ghost of a smile in her eyes before it disappeared.

“Yes, I should know that better than anyone.” She cleared her throat again. “But first, why don’t we get you something to eat. We can...discuss it over breakfast.” She rose from her chair before you could protest and picked her way over to the kitchen. 

You made your way to the kitchen, before realizing you were still wearing your pajamas. If you were going to get to the bottom of this, it would probably be best to change first. You had a feeling you needed to be prepared for the day. 

By the time you were finished dressing, Toriel was almost done frying the eggs. You sat down carefully in the wooden chair and watched her at work. Once you had gotten to the surface, Toriel realized that a diet of butterscotch-cinnamon pie and snails would not suffice for a young human child. She was already a motherly wizard in the kitchen, so adapting to your particular tastes wasn’t too difficult. 

You waited silently for her to finish. The silence in the room was palpable, and you watched the clock on the wall as it ticked its second hand over to the next minute. 

When you looked down again, a plate of eggs and toast were laid out before you. Toriel sat watching you from across the table with tired eyes. You brought a fork up to your mouth, but couldn’t follow through. Your stomach felt too heavy. You didn’t want to be rude, though. You finished taking a few, small bites. Toriel watched you with heavy eyes, and you felt more and more nervous until you could take it no longer.

“Mom, please tell me what happened.”

Toriel, as if hoping somehow she could avoid the conversation altogether opened her mouth slightly, before closing it. She looked sad again.

“I know you can handle the truth, my child. The problem is not with you, and with your inability to handle the unpleasant. Perhaps, it is with me, wanting to protect you. Perhaps it is myself, unwilling to understand how when our freedom is now before us, that such terrible things could still befall us. That we, as monsters, will never be free.”

You set down your fork, your mouth open slightly. What was she talking about?

“How can this be?” she said, a bitter smile on her face as she covered it with a paw. You didn’t like this. You didn’t want your mother looking so sad, so hopeless. 

What couldn’t she tell you?

“The school...” she started, “over half of the monster children have fallen ill.”

You let the words sink in. _Half the school?_

“This is not a normal illness,” she continued, “So I have been told. Undyne called me this morning…” 

“As you are aware, Undyne works as gym teacher at our school. She told me that, well, Alphys had been receiving many calls from other parents. Many messages were not pleasant, in their meaning, and perhaps in their language. Those of children falling heavily ill, and unable to leave their beds. Some collapsed in the middle of the road on the walk home from school or play. Because of the Amalgamates, many thought Alphys had done something to cause this. But Undyne told me she does not know. We both agreed that school should be cancelled for the day. The two have set up a hospital of sorts. Your friend, MK, is there as well.”

“None have died but, oh Frisk,” Toriel said, tearing up heavily, “they are not well. Their health is so poor that I am afraid they may not last longer than a week at most. My students...why did this happen to them? What caused this? I have not seen an illness like this before. Monsters are not prone to sickness, and the only child whom I knew to be sick…” Tears poured down her furry face, and were quickly soaked up. Wet patches soon formed on her cheeks. She placed both paws over her eyes.

You watched her with a stunned expression. None of this made any sense. Wasn’t this the happy ending? You thought back to everything that had happened. This was it. This was the surface world, and everyone was free. So why were all your friends sick? Why was MK sick? What was happening?

You got up from the table, dropping the fork down on your plate with a loud clatter. Toriel jolted up, and by the time she had processed what was happening you had left the room.

“Frisk?” You heard her call out from the other room in a worried voice. You ran out of the house, barely processing the cold press of the weather on your skin. You raced out to the street, and looked around. You had to remember where the bus stop was. Where was it?

“Frisk!” Toriel called out from behind you, her voice growing more frantic. You stopped in your tracks. What were you doing? Were you really going to leave your Mom at her most vulnerable, just to jump on a bus to find your friend? You thought back to the day before, the guilt of leaving MK to the fate of a mysterious illness still heavy in your mind. Their ashen face vivid in your head, you pushed it away, and turned around.

Toriel had caught up to you by then, (in retrospect, you hadn’t gotten very far,) and you knew by her frenzied expression you had made a big mistake by leaving so quickly. 

“Frisk! Oh, my child...please. You do not even have a coat. You left so abruptly. What was I to think, Frisk?” She hugged you tightly,, and you felt her warmth filter into your skin. She was shaking heavily. 

You felt bad, but you had to make her understand. You had to go now. Maybe you could fix all of this somehow. 

“I have to go see them. Where is the hospital?” Had you really been about to run off, when you didn’t even know where they were taking the kids?

“Frisk, you cannot go right now...it is still early in the day and they need space..”

“Mom, I have to. I have to check up on them, you need to...this is supposed to be the happy ending! I have to find out what’s wrong!”

“Frisk..” Toriel looked at you oddly, “What do you mean..?”

“Please. Let me go visit them. I’ll call someone to drive me. Or I’ll take the bus. I’ll call Undyne.”

“I see,” Toriel sighed, “You are right; I knew you would want to leave immediately. It would be cruel to make you wait. But please, put on a coat. It is cold outside.” 

You went back inside the house, impatiently tossing on your coat and shrugging it over your tiny shoulders. You protested heavily as Toriel carefully wrapped a scarf around your neck, and pulled a hat over your ears. Tugging your boots on, you made for the door again before an arm tugged you back.

“Frisk,” Toriel said bewilderedly, “you still do not know where they are. Please, wait…”

Toriel wrote down an address for you, and handed you some money. You looked down a bit confused.

“For the bus, Frisk.” 

Right. 

“I’ll have my phone with me, Mom. I’ll...stay safe.”

“Frisk...please if this illness is contagious to humans,” a shadow fell over Toriel’s face. “Please promise me that you will leave immediately.”

You opened your mouth to respond. No words would come out, so you nodded instead. After another quick hug, you left.

It was going to be a long day, you could feel it already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments!
> 
> *Shulk voice* I'm really feeling it!


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